Helius Energy (LON:HEGY) can finally press on with its plans for a biomass plant at Avonmouth Dock on the Bristol Channel after protestors failed with a last ditch legal challenge.
The High Court in Cardiff refused the Coedbach Action Team permission to apply for a judicial review of the project.
Coedbach is a group of residents initially formed to oppose power station developments in Swansea and the Coed Bach area of Wales.
Helius originally received planning permission for the power station back in March.
When built, the plant will produce enough renewable electricity for around 200,000 homes, and will save over 720,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year when compared to a similarly sized coal-fired power station.
The electricity produced at the plant will be fed into the local electricity grid, and Helius has already secured grid access rights.
The biomass power plant will require up to 850,000 tonnes of sustainably sourced feedstock each year, primarily wood-based material. Construction of the plant is expected to start following conclusion of the engineering procurement programme. The company is considering a number of options to progress the scheme, including the participation of industrial and financial partners.
Helius develops, installs and operates biomass-fired renewable electricity generation plants at sizes ranging from five megawatts to 100MW. The company is currently involved in several projects.
The company successfully developed a 65MWe power plant at Stallingborough, South Humberside, which was sold at pre-construction stage to RWE Innogy. Helius also has a 7.2MWe project in Morayshire, centred on distillery residues for fuel.